The latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention greatly emphasize sending students back to school this fall, despite what the CDC described as “mixed evidence on whether returning to school gives as increased transmission or outbreaks “of COVID-19. The new guidelines arrived the same day as the U.S. exceeded 4 million cases of coronavirus.
CDC Director Robert Redfield tweeted about the new policy and told parents that “closing schools has disrupted normal lifestyles for you and your children and has had negative consequences for the health of our youth.” .
“It is vitally important for our public health to open schools this fall,” he added. “CDC resources will help parents, teachers, and administrators make practical, safety-focused decisions as this school year begins.”
One of the CDC’s main arguments for reopening schools this fall is that K-12 students are “less likely” to get coronavirus than adults.
“Parents are understandably concerned about the safety of their children at school from COVID-19,” says the new guide. “… The best available evidence indicates that COVID-19 presents relatively low risks for school-age children. Children appear to have a lower risk of contracting COVID-19 compared to adults.”
The latest data on the CDC website shows that while children ages 5 to 17 are less likely to die from coronavirus, infections in that age group account for approximately 5.3% of all coronavirus cases. in the U.S. almost 72% of cases in that age group.
The CDC also said that schools should examine community broadcast rates before deciding to reopen. The agency analyzed evidence from schools around the world and found that while reopening may be safe in communities with low transmission rates, European computer simulations have shown that reopening of schools “can further increase the risk transmission in communities where transmission is already high. ”
Despite these risks, President Trump has threatened to withhold funds of schools not opening this fall. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said earlier this month that limiting days in the classroom “would fail America’s students and taxpayers who pay high taxes for their education.”
To help combat the spread of the virus within schools, the CDC recommended that they adopt face mask and social distancing policies. Alternative options may be considered when students are seated at least six feet away, are at recess or in a physical education class, are in a band, choir, or music class, have severe breathing problems, or are deaf or have hearing problems.
The guide is unclear on how effective those steps would be, as the CDC also said “more research and evaluation is needed.”
Parents are encouraged to monitor children for symptoms, the CDC said, and does not recommend that schools conduct universal symptom checks.
The CDC finally suggested that if schools remain closed, the risks for students of contracting and spreading the coronavirus are low, while the risks for students suffering from academic and health problems are high. He noted that schools offer vital resources, including food programs, special education services, counseling, and extracurricular programs for students. Many of these programs primarily serve low-income, minority, or disabled students.
“The damage attributed to closed schools on children’s social, emotional and behavioral health, economic well-being, and academic performance, both in the short and long term, is well known and significant,” the CDC said. “Other than a child’s home, no other setting has more influence on a child’s health and well-being than their school.”
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